Summary:
Ibrahim Olabi, Syria’s ambassador to the United Nations, has publicly denounced Israel for its occupation of southern territory in light of the overthrow of Assad’s regime: Israel has kept troops in a UN-buffer zone that represents the divide between Syria and Israel. Olabi’s urging the UN to re-enact the 1974 Disengagement Agreement: a solution to end unlawful occupation and humanitarian violations. He’s urging this because despite Israel’s thousands of unlawful air-strikes, checkpoints, and mysterious kidnappings, Syria has not taken retaliatory action. Netanyahu claims that the 1974 agreement is no longer applicable because al-Assad is now gone. It’s likely, though, that a security pact could be successfully negotiated by the end of 2025.
Analysis:
This article is important because it highlights how Israel breached multiple countries’ sovereignty by seizing territory. It emphasizes how, oftentimes, shatter-belt countries become that way because there’s always someone who’s abusing the natural inability for society to balance freedom and order (whether it be internal or external forces). The destruction of important landmarks and innocent civilians also signifies how easily war-torn countries experience further setbacks because more powerful countries attack both from the outside (through seizes and air strikes) and the inside by supporting opposing forces who’d incite internal chaos. Syria is especially vulnerable right now because the Assad regime was recently removed, and we have yet to see a stable government that’s backed with genuine legitimacy; due to the fragile state of the country right now, Israel’s attacks clearly have exacerbated effects.
Israel’s use of hard power to “get their foot in the door” of Syria will have lasting impacts, as it’s clear that Israel has no plans of stopping here; the concerning thing is that they don’t need to, because America is backing them. America is supporting their use of soft power by spreading propaganda because we’re looking for an opening to exert influence in the region, which’ll be further amplified if Israel is seizing territory in multiple countries. The disregard for previous UN-mediated agreements (like the one in 1974) signifies how international law has generally no effect if you have America (the biggest P5 country) backing you up, since technically the ICJ and UN-organs have no authority behind them. If this interdependent relationship continues, then there’ll be lasting consequences for not just the region but the global community as a whole; everyone is connected, and if the conflict escalates, then Iran might get involved and other 3rd parties would do the same because of prior alliances and Syria’s geostrategic advantages (specifically its access to the Mediterranean Sea; Turkey is an example of this because they’re currently invading for the same reasons as Israel). If other countries got involved, not only would states be involved but also MNCs, because some benefit from conflict while others perish.
Class Connection:
This article connects to the class because it relates to issues regarding sovereignty, legitimacy, smart power, authority, and geopolitics. Furthermore, this theme connects to human rights and brings up the common debate about the legitimacy of the international governing systems.